Jhingan to captain India in China friendly

Suzhou (China) Oct 12 (IANS) Sandesh Jhingan will don the captain's armband when the Indian football team take on China in an international friendly at the Suzhou Olympic Stadium here on Saturday.

At the official pre-match press conference India coach Stephen Constantine said: "I think the captain has to reflect the attitude of the coach. Sandesh first played for me four years ago. He is a fighter and a leader. He gives everything on the pitch which most of the players do."

"I think he is going to be one of the leaders for India going forward. Keeping the magnitude of the game in mind, I believe he deserves to lead the team," he added.

The newly-appointed skipper thanked the coach for believing in him and handing the captain's armband to him.

"As an Indian boy, it was always my dream to represent the country. It's a great feeling that I can't actually express in words," he stated.

"In Chhetri-bhai, Gurpreet, Jeje we have a group of leaders which makes my job easy. We all work together to achieve the goal. The plan for tomorrow is that to stick to the plan and give our best on the pitch. If we are able to do that the result will follow. We're really looking forward to playing in this beautiful stadium."

This is the first meeting among the two teams since they last played in the Nehru Cup in Kochi in 1997. India are yet to win a single match against China in the 17 encounters played between the two countries so far.